The Story of Emily Goode
by iShouldBeaDisneyPrincess
Summary: Zach hasn't seen his mother in 9 long years so when she suddenly returns questions are raised. Why does Rachel Morgan hate her? Where has she been for the last 9 years? And who IS Zach's father? Rated T just in case. My first fan-fic EVER!
1. Prologue

The Story of Emily Goode

Prologue

"I have to go now, baby. Mommy has to go do her job." Emily said this to 7-year-old Zach as she hugged him tightly. She didn't want to leave her baby, but she had no choice.

"Don't go, Mamma. You can't leave me. I don't want you to go." Zach had been saying stuff like this for the past three hours. Emily looked at her watch over Zach's shoulder. 11:02 P.M. She had to be at the office at 11:30 sharp.

"Zachary, look at me." He looked up at her, his tear-stained face blotchy and red. "I will _never_ leave you, baby, never. No matter what happens, I'll always be with you," she touched his heart, "right here."

Zach's green eyes grew wide as he looked into his mothers beautiful face and saw a tear slide now her cheek. He had never seen Emily cry before, not ever. He reached out a small finger and brushed the tear off Emily's cheek, making her laugh and smile. She hugged her baby once more before slowly getting up from her crouched position. Emily asked, "Will you be okay here for about ten minutes until Grant comes?"

Zach nodded his head vigorously. "I can take care of myself, Mamma. I'm not six anymore."

"Okay, baby. Whatever you say." Emily walked to the door and put her hand on the doorknob. As she opened the door, she turned around. "Oh, and Zach?"

Zach had turned on the T.V. and was watching cartoons. He turned around. "Yeah, Mamma?"

"I will come back, baby. I promise." Zach smiled and turned back around without saying anything. As Emily closed and locked the door, she took out her cell phone and made a call. On the second ring, someone picked up. "Sarah Newman speaking."

"Sar? It's Emily."

"Oh, hey, Em. Me and Grant are, like, 4 minutes away. Um, three minutes, 17 seconds to be exact." Emily smiled. It was just like Sarah to know the exact amount of time it took to get to Emily's house. She'd always had a knack for that.

"Okay, he's watching cartoons right now, and I'm in my driveway. I gotta be at the office by 11:30, and it's already…" Emily tried to read her watch in the dark.

"11:17," Sarah supplied.

"Right."

"Okay, Em, just call me when you're done with the mission. Oh, and say hi to Chris for me."

"I will, Sarah. Love you."

"Love you, too, Em." With that, the line went dead. Emily and Sarah never said goodbye to eachother because, when you're a spy, you never want to make the risk of dying seem even more real than it already is.

It took exactly four minutes, 23 seconds for Emily to get to the office. She walked in, put in the code to shut off the laser beam, said her name, waited as the tracer read her handprint and her eyes, and proceeded into the director's waiting room. As she walked in, everyone's heads went up and stared at her. To Emily, though, only one person in that room mattered. She went and sat next to him. Staring blankly ahead, she said, "Long time, no see, Chris."

"Hi, Emily."

"How've you been?"

"Good." After an awkward silence, he said, "I have a daughter, you know. She's seven." He took out a picture of her from his pocket and showed it to Emily.

Emily studied the picture for a while. "She's adorable, Chris. And she has your eyes. What's her name?"

"Cameron Ann. Everyone just calls her Cammie, though."

"Cute name. I have a boy who's seven, too." She pulled out her phone to show Chris Zach's picture. "His name's Zach."

Chris looked at the picture. "He has your smile," he said. Then he looked at Emily. "He's pretty handsome looking for a seven-year-old." Chris said jokingly. "You better keep him away from my daughter."

Emily laughed. "Please, the chances of them meeting would be one in a million. Probably larger if your wife has anything to do with it." Emily had meant to say it jokingly, but somehow she couldn't keep a small hint of bitterness from her voice when she said that last part about his wife.

Of course he picked up on it. "Emily, I-"

"Stop, Chris. It doesn't matter. That was a long time ago."

"Still," he said. "I'm sorry how that all went down. I didn't want to end it like that."

Emily smiled at him. "That's okay," she said. "The look on Rachel's face when you told her I was your partner for this mission would've been enough."

Chris's face turned a slight shade of pink. "Well, actually…"

"YOU DIDN'T TELL HER?" Emily whispered yelled. She punched him lightly on the arm. "That just takes all the fun out of it."

His face still red, Chris said, "Yeah, well I didn't what her to be mad or do anything rash, so-"

Just then, a message played from the intercom above the director's door. "Emily Goode and Christopher Morgan, the director will see you now."

The two got up and entered the office. They received their assignments and left the office together. They talked about old times and old friends, new adventures, and new commitments. It was while they were talking about Cammie and Zach that Emily realized something about the promise she had made to Zach. She had said that she would come back because she was trying to assure him. Now Emily realized that she was really trying to assure herself.

But nine months and 23 days later, as she cradled Christopher Morgan's cold, lifeless body in her arms, locked in a small room in some foreign country with no chance of escaping, Emily Goode could not even convince herself that she would ever see her baby again.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi! My name's Ella and I LOVE this website! This is my first fan-fic, so I'm not sure how good it will be, but I would really appreciate any feedback you have to offer. Thanks! **

**And just so you know, most of this story will be told in third person because I'm really bad at writing in first.**

***Nine years later***

Zachary Goode walked into his house like it was any other typical day. He hadn't been back here since Christmas, and he had decided to stop on the way to Grant's house. It wasn't like he expected anyone to be there. He had given up on that a long time ago.

The house looked exactly like he had left it. Nothing had been touched or moved. The chairs in the kitchen were neatly pushed in around the table. The granite counters were shiny and polished, and the pictures covering almost every wall were hanging straight.

Zach walked over to one of the pictures. It had been taken on his seventh birthday. His mom was kneeling next to him and she had her arms around him. They were both smiling at the camera.

Next to that was a picture of Zach and his best friend and roommate, Grant Newman. They were at Zach's eighth birthday together and had cake all over their faces. They both looked so happy. Zach couldn't believe that this picture had been taken only two days before he found out that his mom was gone. 

Well, he didn't know for certain that she was gone. Technically, she was MIA, or Missing In Action. Still, after nine years of waiting, the thought of Emily ever returning was more like an impossible dream.

Just then, Zach's cell phone rang. He took it out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID: Grant.

Flipping the phone open and pressing the green button, Zach answered, "What?"

"Dude, where are you? Jonas and Nate got here 10 minutes ago! You coming or what?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't rush me. I had to make a stop."

Silence met Zach. Then Grant whispered, "You're at the house again aren't you?"

Zach sighed. He didn't feel like having this argument with Grant again. "So?"

"Zach, come on. It's been nine years. _Nine_. Don't you think she would've contacted you or come back or something by now?"

"I don't know, maybe she just got held up or something."

"For nine years?"

Zach rolled his eyes. "Look, I'll be there in 20 minutes."

"Five."

"Ten."

"Fine. But if you're not here by then, you can drive yourself to Blackthorne. You know Dr. Steve will be mad if you don't show up on time."

"Yeah, I know." It was the end of summer break, and Zach was going to be a junior. He would be able to go on real missions this year, not just the kind that the school set up as practice.

Just then Zach heard a noise in the back of the house. "Listen, Grant, I'll call you back when I'm on my way. Gotta go."

"Wait, but-" but Zach had already hung up.

He walked quietly to the sitting room in the back of the house, reaching for one of the napotine patches he always kept in his pocket. He walked into the room and looked around. No one was there.

Just then he heard a voice behind him. "Hey, baby."

Zach spun around fast. A beautiful woman stepped out of the shadows. Smirking at the shocked expression on his face, the woman said, "I told you I'd come back."

Zach didn't say anything. How was this possible? This must be a dream. Maybe he accidentally stuck a napotine patch on himself. But no, Zach knew in his heart that this was real.

After what seemed like an eternity, Zach managed to choke out one word that immediately made unwanted tears spring to his eyes: "Mom?"

**Do you like it? I was very excited about writing this chapter, so I hope you did. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 2

**Hello! I just wanted to clarify a couple of things about my story so that there isn't any confusion:**

**This takes place after GG2 and starts at the end of summer break**

**In this story, GG3 NEVER happens**

**All the grownups (Emily, Rachel Morgan, Solomon, Sarah Newman, etc.) are all the same age, which is 36**

**All the kids (Zach, Cammie, Grant, etc.) are all 16**

**If you have any questions, suggestions, ideas, or anything else don't hesitate to tell me. I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU ARE THINKING IN YOUR HEADS!**

**Apparently, I am required by the law to say that I do not and never will own the Gallagher Girls series…..curse that law….**

"Mom?"

Emily smiled as tears glistened in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks. "My baby!" she cried as she ran into Zach's open arms. She looked up into his tear-stained face and ruffled his hair, saying, "Look at you. When did I give you permission to get taller than me?"

Zach laughed and released his mom. "You didn't," he answered. "I decided to surprise you."

Emily smiled brightly, looking him up and down. She studied his tall frame, his gentle, yet firm, sea green eyes, his messy black hair, and the dark circles under his eyes that told her he had a lot of late nights. She could barely recognize her baby Zach in this tall, handsome stranger standing in her sitting room.

Zach couldn't recognize his mom either. In a glance, she looked the same, but if you really looked at her you would see the faint bruises on her arms and legs, or the shallow white scar that ran from her right eye to the base of her neck that no amount of concealer could cover. The sad, far away look she got in her eyes when she thought no one was watching her. The slow, unsteady way she walked. Zach didn't know what had happened to his mom, but somewhere in those nine years they'd been apart, someone had broken her.

Just then, Zach's phone vibrated against his leg. He pulled it out and saw a text from Grant. (**BOLD** is Grant, _ITALICS_ is Zach)

**Where are you?**

_At the house_

**Why aren't you at my house?**

_I felt like spending some time with my mom_

**Your mom is back!**

_Yup_

**I'm calling my mom**

_K see ya at Blackthorne_

**See ya**

As soon as Zach put the phone into his pocket, he heard tires screech into the driveway, soon followed by the sound of an engine being cut and the slam of a car door. In the next moment, the front door swung open, and Sarah Newman, my mom's best friend since eighth grade, came running through at top speed screaming, "EMILY!" at the top of her lungs. She tackled Emily in a bear hug, which made Emily stumble for a moment.

Crying, Sarah finally released Emily. "Where have you been?" she demanded. "Do you know how worried I was? Couldn't you have called or something? I thought you might've been…gone."

Emily smiled grimly. "Sorry, Sar. The COC doesn't really ask if you want to call your best friend and tell her you'll be eight years late while they're in the middle of breaking your legs."

Sarah looked absolutely terrified. Zach realized that this must be the reason why she walked so strangely. They had probably healed wrong. Sarah hugged Emily and said, "You poor thing. I'm so sorry. You can come back to my house for now and I can catch you up on all of the latest gossip."

Emily smiled. "That sounds like a great idea, Sar."

Sarah smiled back. "Great, then that's settled." She turned to Zach. "Sweetheart, do you need a ride? Grant said they were stopping to eat first, so I could drive you to the restaurant and you can go with them to school."

"Um, sure. That'd be great." 10 minutes later, Sarah was pulling into the parking lot of Olive Garden and dropping off Zach. He went in and found his friends and sat in the empty seat. They all just watched him as he picked up a breadstick and started eating it.

Finally he looked up. "What?" he asked.

Grant just looked at him. "Um, are you okay?"

Zach looked confused. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

Jonas piped in. "Well, your mom just came home after nine years. Are you…okay?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm great! This is the happiest I've been in a long time. I always thought she would never come back and now…she is."

Grant smiled. "We're happy for you, man."

Zach smiled back. "Thanks."

They finished the rest of their food while they talked about their summers and how Nate was delusional because he thought he heard a cow talking to him while he was at his parent's ranch in Tennessee. They talked about Blackthorne and all of the pranks they were going to pull this year. They talked about how they couldn't wait to see which fifteen students would be chosen to go to Gallagher Academy this year. Last semester Nate couldn't go because he was to far behind on his school work, but he was caught up this year, so he had a chance of being able to go. Zach hoped he'd be picked, too. He missed his Gallagher Girl.

Driving to Blackthorne took three hours, 18 minutes, and 54 seconds.

As the boys unloaded their bags from Grant's car, they stared up at the school they'd been attending since seventh grade. They were ready to start a new year.

Together, the four boys walked into Blackthorne Academy for Exceptional Young Men, anticipating all of the events that were to come.

**So how'd you like it? It's kind of short to me, but I really want to get passed all of this stuff in a hurry and move on to the REAL story, so sorry if this seems kind of rushed to you. I really hope you enjoy my story! Please review!**


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi peoples! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I appreciated them very much. I had one comment about why Zach didn't stay and catch up with his mom if she's been gone for the last nine years. The answer is Dr. Steve, the headmaster of Blackthorne, could care less if Zach's mom came home after 50 years, he still wouldn't let Zach be late for school! He's not very nice. Also, the girls will be coming in soon, so just be patient. Thanks!**

Zach was lying on his bed listening to his iPod when he suddenly remembered something strange that his mom had said. He bolted upright into a sitting position, surprising Nate and Jonas, who were doing Nate's homework, and Grant, who was checking out his abs.

He looked at Jonas. "Hey can you look something up for me really quick?"

"Yeah," Jonas said, pulling the laptop into his lap. "What is it?"

"Look up the COC."

Jonas looked at Zach, confused. "What's that?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't know, my mom said something about them, and I want to know who they are."

Jonas typed something into his laptop and read whatever popped up on the screen. He clicked on something and his brow furrowed in confusion. Finally he said, "I don't…get it."

"What do you mean?" asked Zach, going over to look at what was on the screen.

Jonas showed him the page. "According to the CIA database, the COC, or Circle of Cavan, is a terrorist organization seeking revenge on the CIA, more specifically spy training schools, such as Blackthorne, Gallagher, Heigelton, and Carmount."

Grant looked over, interested. "What are Heigelton and Carmount?"

Jonas answered, "Heigelton is a co-ed school located in Ireland for grades 7-12, and Carmount is a co-ed school in Australia for grades Kindergarten-8."

Nate looked shocked. "_Kindergarten_?"

Jonas nodded, impressed. "Yeah. Some parents want their kids to start very early, but most want to give them a chance at having a normal childhood. Well, as normal as it could be with spies as parents."

"That would be awesome!" Grant exclaimed, jumping off the bed. "Can you imagine having been a spy since you were in Kindergarten? We would be the best spies ever!"

"I wonder what kind of missions they go on," said Nate.

Zach chimed in, "They probably have to figure out who stole the blue crayon." Everyone laughed at that.

Then Jonas asked, "So what did your mom say about the COC?"

Zach's smile fell and his face grew angry. He growled, "She said they broke her legs."

Zach was greeted by three horrified faces. Finally Grant said, "Dude, that's…harsh."

Jonas rubbed his head. "Yeah. That really sucks. Are they okay now?"

Zach's face fell even more. "She walks really slowly and not very steadily. I don't think they healed correctly."

Nate put a hand on Zach's shoulder. "Sorry, man. I know how you feel." Nate had lost both of his parents when he was four. They were on a mission in Africa when their plane exploded. Their bodies were never found.

Zach sighed. Things like this happened to spies all the time. He couldn't just sit here and sulk about it.

Just then, the four boys heard the sound of the dinner bell outside. They got up and walked to the enormous dining hall, which was decorated in the school colors, black and green. A large sign at the entrance of the hall read "American- English." This was always the language spoken on the first day of school.

As soon as all of the boys had taken their seats, Dr. Steve, the headmaster, stood up and walked to his podium. He spoke. "Welcome back to Blackthorne, boys. I'm very happy to announce that four of last year's graduates have already been given envied missions for the CIA, and one young man has already received an important medal of honor. I tell you, boys, all of you are destined for great things." He smiled at all of the tables. Some smiled back, mainly the younger grades, but some older students, like Zach, just gave him a look.

He continued. "It is also my pleasure to announce that we shall be doing another exchange with our sister school, the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, this semester. We have also decided to allow more students to take part in this exchange." Excited whispering spread through the tables of boys. "Fifteen students from each grade, excluding 7th, will be participating in this exchange. I will read the lists after dinner is concluded." With, that he walked away from his podium and sat down in his chair. From his place at the head of the teacher's table, he said, "You may begin eating."

Everyone dug in. There were all sorts of meat, fruit, vegetables, desserts, breads, drinks, and anything else imaginable. As the boys ate, they discussed who they thought would be selected to take part in the exchange. Everyone was very excited.

Soon, dinner was over and Dr. Steve returned to his place at the podium. "These are the fifteen 8th grade students who will be participating in the exchange." As he read the list cheers came from the boys selected while disappointed faces were plastered onto the faces of the ones who were not. Dr. Steve went through the 9th and10th grade lists, which were received with the same results.

Everyone quieted down to hear which 11th graders would go on. All who went last year remembered how Zach had kissed Cammie, and they wanted to know if he was going to be punished for it. Dr. Steve began reading the list:

"Aaron Sanders, Alex Rodriguez, Anthony Gomez." A little bit of tension built up in Zach's stomach.

"Brian Peterson, Cole Lukas, Damian Andrews." A little knot twisted in Zach's stomach as he silently begged Dr. Steve to read faster.

"Eric Culling, Ethan Samuels, George Manson." This was beginning to make Zach feel a little sick.

"Grant Newman-"

"YES!" Grant pumped his fist in the air as students snickered at the disapprovingly look Grant was getting from Dr. Steve.

"As I was saying," said Dr. Steve. "Grant Newman, Henry Gale, Jonas Richards."

_Come on_, Zach thought. _Can't you read any faster?_

"Nate Grams, Ricky Stevens, and…"

_Come on, come on_, Zach thought, his stomach in complete knots now. _I _have_ to see my Gallagher Girl!_

"Zachary Goode."

Zach's stomach released and an audible sigh of relief escaped from him. He hadn't even realized he was holding his breath. Dr. Steve read the senior's list, but Zach couldn't hear. He was too busy thinking about Cammie.

"Now," Dr. Steve was saying, "Last year, there was a slight problem with, ahem, public displays of affection." Zach slunk down in his chair as several heads turned to look at him.

"If _anyone_ breaks that rule this year, you will be sent home _immediately_ with an F in Covert Operations for this semester. Am I understood?" Dr. Steve looked directly at Zach when he asked the last part.

"Yes, sir," mumbled some of the students. Zach, however, stared defiantly back at him.

"Well, then. Return to your rooms now. Most of you have classes tomorrow starting at 8:00 and those of you going to the Gallagher Academy must be packed and on the helicopter at exactly 12:00 P.M. Dismissed." With that, everyone began to go to their rooms, some to rest, and others to pack.

Zach was ready for this. He hadn't been in contact with Cammie since the day he left last semester. He couldn't wait to see her again.

_Gallagher, here I come. _

**Hope you loved it!**


	5. Chapter 4

**Thank you for reviewing! It puts a smile on my face when I see that the number of reviews has gotten larger.**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gallagher Girls. Or do I? Wait let me check…nope still don't.**

That morning, all four boys scurried around the room stuffing clothes and weapons into their suitcases. The first one done was Jonas. He had neatly folded all of his clothing into one suitcase, and his weapons of choice were in a second smaller suitcase.

Grant was jumping on his suitcase while Nate tried to zip it up. Grant had four suitcases, three for clothes and one for weapons.

Zach's two suitcases zipped easily enough, but Nate's one suitcase, like Grant's, was very hard to close.

Eventually, all four were ready to go, and they headed toward the helicopter. When they got there at 11:58, their suitcases were loaded into the back of the helicopter and they got onboard. Once all 75 students were seated and Dr. Steve was at the head of the plane, they took off.

After four hours, seven minutes, and 19 seconds, Gallagher Academy came into sight. The helicopter landed on the roof, and all 75 boys got off. After they had gotten their suitcases, the boys were lead to their rooms by Ms. Morgan and Mr. Solomon. Mr. Solomon slowed down until he was standing right next to Zach.

"Back again, I see," said Mr. Solomon.

"Can't keep me away," replied Zach. A tiny smile crept on to Solomon's face.

"I've been asked by Ms. Morgan to tell you something, Zach," said Solomon, no amusement left in his voice.

Zach looked at him, confused. "About what?"

Solomon sighed. "She asks that you stay away from her daughter. Cammie has a lot on her mind right now, and Ms. Morgan feels that she doesn't need anymore to worry about right now."

Zach's face turned angry. "So I can't talk to Cammie because she has too much to _think_ about?" He didn't realize that he had shouted, but when heads turned to look at them, he knew he had. The truth was, though, he didn't really care.

"Zach I know this is hard to understand-"

"HARD TO UNDERSTAND? Are you KIDDING me? This is IMMPOSSIBLE to understand!"

If people weren't looking before, they were staring now. Solomon saw Rachel Morgan give Zach a look before she turned around and continued leading the group of boys to their rooms.

"Zach, listen to me. Ms. Morgan doesn't want you to be with Cammie. She's already talked to Cammie about it, and trust me, Cammie is just as disappointed as you are."

"If Cammie wants to see me and I want to see Cammie, then why won't her mom let us?"

Mr. Solomon sighed again. He looked around and saw that no one was looking, so he pulled Zach into a hallway. "Look, Zach, there is a lot of bad blood between the Goodes and the Morgans. It started with your mother and Rachel a long time ago, and now that Rachel knows who your mother is, she doesn't want you near Cammie. She actually requested that you not be one of the students sent here this year, but Dr. Steve insisted that you should come, seeing as how you are the number one operative in the junior class."

Zach was so confused. How did Emily and Ms. Morgan even know eachother? "What happened between my mom and Ms. Morgan?" he asked.

Solomon's face grew dark. "That's a story for another day," he said. "For now you should really just go get settled in."

Zach turned away, defeated. Suddenly Mr. Solomon called out to him. "Zach?"

Zach turned around. "Yeah?"

"This school has a lot of secret passages, you know."

Zach smiled. "Yeah, I know." He began walking away. Maybe this semester wouldn't be so bad after all.

Back in his room later that day, Zach remembered that he'd put his mom's number in his cell phone before he left. He decided to call her.

"Hello?"

"Hey, mom, it's Zach."

"Oh, hi, sweety. How's school?"

"Well, that's actually why I'm calling. We're doing a switch with Gallagher Academy-"

"WHAT?" Emily screamed on the other end of the line. Zach had to move the phone away from his ear to avoid busting his hearing.

"What's wrong?"

Silence on Emily's end. Then, "Nothing's wrong, Zach, it's just surprising is all. They haven't done switches since I was in school there."

"You went to Gallagher?" Zach said, surprised.

"Yeah. I never told you that? That's where I met Sarah and Joe."

"No, you never told me. But that's not what I wanted to ask about. I want to know how you know Rachel Morgan."

There was silence again. Then slowly Emily said, "I think its best I not say on the phone. If Gallagher is anything like it was when I went there, this call is being monitored. Why do you ask?"

"Mr. Solomon told me that she doesn't want me to date Cammie because Cammie has to much on her mind, and-"

"That's bull crap! You can't date Cammie because she hates me." Emily paused. "Wait a second, how do you know Cameron Morgan?"

"I went to Gallagher last semester, too, and she was my guide. We…kissed…and, well, I really like her."

For a long time Emily said nothing. Then, finally, she spoke. "Of all the girls in the world that would be willing to date you, Zach, you like a Morgan?"

"Well, yeah. Do you think it's a bad idea?"

"That's a hard question for me to answer, Zach. If it was up to me, then no, I wouldn't want you to date Cammie." Zach was disappointed. He had hoped that his mom would be more supportive. "But," she said, "if you really want to date Cammie and Cammie wants to date you, then I say go for it."

"Really?"

"Yes, Zach. You need to believe in yourself. Don't let other people tell you what you can and can't do. I made that mistake. Don't follow in my footsteps."

Zach paused, wondering what his mom meant when she said she had already made that mistake. Finally he just said simply, "I love you, mom."

"I love you to, baby."

"Mom? I have one more question."

"What is it, Zach?"

"Who is my father?"

Zach sat there for what seemed like forever waiting for an answer. After a while, he looked at his phone, thinking the connection had gotten messed up. When he saw the "Call Ended" sign, though, he figured out that his mom had hung up on him.

_Oh well,_ he thought. _I'll find out eventually._

Just then Grant came in. "Zach, it's time for dinner."

Zach put away his phone and walked with Grant to the dining hall. They stood outside the large double doors with the rest of the boys until the doors were pushed open 10 minutes later.

"…the Blackthorne Academy."

Zach looked around at the faces of the girls, some were shocked, some only startled, and a few didn't look at all surprised. Zach studied one face in particular. She didn't look surprised, but she didn't look smug either. She was staring longingly at Zach, who couldn't help but stare back. As he walked to the front of the hall with Dr. Steve and the other 74 boys, as he walked to his table and began eating, and as he walked back to his room with Grant, Jonas, and Nate, Zach could only think of one word, one person.

_Cammie._

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The girls will be in the next chapter. Pinky swear!**


	6. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long delay. I've been a little busy lately and haven't really had time to think about this or update. Reviews are much appreciated. Thanks!**

The next morning when Zach woke up, everyone was still asleep. He looked at the digital clock next to his bed: **3:18**. He was fully awake now, so he threw on an old T-shirt and a pair of shorts over his boxers and went for a walk.

The halls of Gallagher were lit by candles in the walls. It was still very dark, but there was enough light for Zach to see a few feet in front of him. He had been walking aimlessly when out of the shadows he heard someone ask, "Couldn't sleep, Blackthorne Boy?"

Zach smiled and turned around as Cammie walked out of the shadows, also smiling. "Nope, Gallagher Girl," he said as he grasped her hand. "I was too busy thinking about you." He leaned down and kissed her. She put her arms around his neck while he held her waist. They stood there like that in the middle of Gallagher for what seemed like forever. Finally, Zach came up for air and breathed, "I missed you, Cammie."

She looked into the sparkling green eyes that she loved so much. "I missed you to Zach." She kissed him again before asking, "Where have you been all summer?"

Zach released Cammie and shrugged. "I've been a lot of places lately. I was with Grant or Mr. Solomon for pretty much the entire summer. And…" he trailed off.

Cammie looked at him, a little concerned by his voice. "What is it Zach? What's wrong?"

"No, nothing's wrong, Gallagher Girl, it's just…my mom's back."

Cammie hesitated before saying anything. She was extremely confused. "But you said your parents were dead."

"I thought they were. I never met my dad, and my mom left on a mission nine years ago and never came back. Then, two days ago, she just showed up at our old house. It was like a dream come true." Zach smiled as he said this last part. He had really missed his mom.

"I know how you must feel. My dad disappeared on a mission nine years ago, too. I'm pretty sure he isn't coming back, though."

"Well, you never know. I had given up any hope of ever seeing my mom again and now she's back in my life. Maybe you just need to wait and keep on believing that someday you might get to see your dad again."

Cammie smiled and said, "Maybe," but she didn't really believe it.

The silence of the hall was suddenly filled with the sound of Zach's ring tone. He quickly flipped open the phone, cutting off the music that was playing. "What?"

"Dude, where are you, it's 6:00 A.M.!" Grant shouted into the phone.

"I'm with Cammie." He looked over at her and mouthed, _Grant, _which was received by an eye roll.

"Well hurry up and get back here! Dr. Steve's doing a surprise inspection of all of the rooms."

Zach was suddenly terrified. If someone found out he had been wandering the halls at night, he would be sent back to Blackthorne with an F in CoveOps. Worse of all, he wouldn't be able to see Cammie again!

"Be there in a minute." Zach said before hanging up the phone. He quickly kissed Cammie on the cheek and said, "Surprise inspection. Can I see you later?"

She smiled. "We have all the same classes, Blackthorne Boy, so that shouldn't be a problem. I'll see you later." She was about to turn away when suddenly she just stood on her toes and kissed Zach on the lips. Then she let out an involuntary giggle and ran away.

Later, after the inspection, which they passed easily, Zach told his roommates what had happened. Grant's only reaction was, "She _giggled_?"

Cammie, Bex, and Macey gathered around Liz and her laptop as Liz read what the screen said out loud. "According to the CIA database, Emily Goode is a 36-year-old single mother of one child, Zachary. Nine years ago, she was sent on a mission with her partner," Liz paused and glanced at Cammie before continuing. "…with her partner, Christopher Morgan. They were to infiltrate and destroy the COC HQ in a small country located in northern Africa. The mission was a failure and both agents were thought to be KIA until two days ago when Emily Goode showed up suddenly at her old house in Tennessee. Her questioning day will be held tomorrow at the CIA base located in Nashville, Tennessee." Liz looked at the other three girls. "That's all it says."

Bex squinted at the screen. "You mean there isn't anything about her parents or her friends or Zach's dad?"

"Well," Liz scrolled down the screen. "It says that while she was missing, Zach's godmother, Sarah Newman, and his godfather, Joe Solomon, took turns taking care of him over the years."

"Mr. Solomon is Zach's godfather?" Macey asked.

"Yup," Liz said, popping the _p_. She continued to scroll down the screen. "Both of her parents were killed at an early age, and she lived with some family friends until 7th grade." She kept scrolling down before suddenly stopping and pointing at something on the screen. "Hey! Look, she went to Gallagher! And she was number one in her class, too!" Sure enough, there was a picture of Emily holding a large plaque and smiling at the camera. On either side of her were two other girls, both of which looked like their smiles were forced.

The girls stared at the picture. Finally, Macey asked, "Cammie, isn't that…"

"My mom." Cammie pointed to the other girl. "And that's my mom's sister, Abby." They both had small medals hanging on their necks that said they were second and third in their class. For some reason, Cammie had always assumed that her mom had been first in her class. Now she realized she had been wrong.

"They don't look too happy that Zach's mom beat them," Bex said.

"Actually, they look really mad," Macey added.

"Is there anything else about her?" asked Cammie, desperately wanting to get off this topic.

"Hold on, let me check," answered Liz. She typed in some stuff and looked through a few pages before finally stopping at a picture that made all four girls gasp with surprise.

"Bloody hell," whispered Bex.

"Oh. My. God," said a shocked Macey.

"Whoa," was all Liz could say.

Cammie couldn't say anything. The picture showed Emily with her arms around a man's neck and the man's hands on her waist. Emily's head was resting against the man's chest, and both were smiling at the camera happily. They both looked to be about 16.

If it was any other man, the picture wouldn't have meant anything. It would've just been another picture of two people in love. But no, this wasn't just any other picture of two people, and that wasn't just any other man.

_That_ was Christopher Morgan.

_That_ was _not_ Rachel Cameron Morgan.

_That_ was Emily Goode.

After what seemed like forever, Macey broke the silence. "I guess now we know why Ms. Morgan doesn't like Emily Goode."

**Did you like it? Was it worth the wait? I'll try to update soon, but I don't know how busy I'll be. Thanks for being so patient with me. Please review! **


	7. Chapter 6

**YAY! I finally got 15 reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed my story. I appreciate that very much! Because I got 15 reviews, I decided to update right away. For those of you who were concerned, I promise that Christopher Morgan is NOT Zach's father. Sorry for the spoiler, but I just needed to get that out. Enjoy the chapter!**

**I don't own anything- Ally Carter does (Except Emily, she's mine!)**

**Cammie POV**

I couldn't believe this. How could Emily Goode have been with my dad? That was impossible! There has to be a mistake!

I sat there, staring at the screen when finally I decided what needed to be done. I took the laptop from Liz, who gave it up without protest, and typed some stuff in. I walked over to our printer and got the pages I had just printed out. It was the information about Emily Goode and the two pictures we had looked at. As I did this, Bex, Liz, and Macey silently watched me walk around the room with strange expressions on their faces. I had my Chameleon face on.

As I reached for the doorknob, Bex asked, "Cammie, where are you going?"

Without turning around, I answered, "I'm going to find Zach." I didn't know how much he knew about any of this, but I was going to find out. I walked out the door.

**Third Person**

"I…didn't know," said Zach. Why had his mom not told him any of this? Why had Aunt Sarah or Joe never told him? Why did everyone keep secrets from him?

He was sitting on the main staircase in the entrance hall with Cammie next to him and the papers in his hand. He was just as upset as she was. He hadn't known that his mom even knew Cammie's dad, much less went on a mission with him. And the picture of them together…Zach didn't even want to think about that.

"What do you think this all means?" asked Cammie. She knew her mom didn't like Ms. Goode, her mom had told her that herself. She also knew that Ms. Goode had beaten her mother in school, but Cammie felt like her mom's hatred towards this woman was deeper than that. This would be a perfect reason for her mom and Ms. Goode to hate each other.

"I don't really know what any of this means," answered Zach. Aunt Sarah had never given any hints that Emily didn't like Ms. Morgan. Zach had known that Emily was top in her class because the plaque was hanging up in their living room, but other than that, Zach had known nothing. He didn't like being kept in the dark.

"You don't think that my dad is…" her voice trailed off as her face turned bright red.

Zach looked at Cammie, horrified. "God no! My mom would've told me that at least. She knew I wanted to date you, and if your dad was my dad, I think she probably would've mentioned that."

"Still. I feel weird about this. I mean, look at them." She pointed to the picture of Chris and Emily. "It's obvious that they're in love, at least in this picture. I think it's just too weird if we're dating and this is still unsolved."

"But Cammie-"

"No, Zach. I'm sure that this is for the best. Once we have all of this figured out, I'd be happy to date you. Until then, I think it's best we keep our distance."

Zach couldn't look at her. After all of this, he had just wanted to come back and be with Cammie. Were the fates set against him? Did they want him to be miserable? Without Cammie, Zach had no one except his mom, who he barely knew. This was too much for him to bear right now. He just couldn't take it.

"Zach, look at me." He didn't look up. "Zach." Cammie put her hands on his face and gently raised his head so that he was looking into her eyes. "I love you, Zach. I've never loved anyone more than I love you. This won't keep us apart. I just need some time to figure everything out."

"You mean you didn't love Jimmy as much as you love me?"

Cammie smiled. "Nope, not even Josh."

Zach looked at Cammie and smiled. "I love you, too, Cammie." Then he was kissing her. They sat there on the staircase, not caring if anyone saw them, and kissed. They loved each other more than anything in the world. Nothing could separate them. No matter how strong, nothing could ever come between them.

Finally, Cammie came up for air. She said, "I have to go, Zach. Don't worry we'll be together in the end. I promise." She kissed him again. "Bye, Zach."

"No."

Cammie looked at Zach, confused. Zach smirked. "Spies never say 'goodbye.'" Then he got up and walked back to his room.

**Later…**

After dinner that night, Zach called his mom. She picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?"

"Mom, it's me."

"Oh, hey, baby, what's up?"

"I need to know everything."

A pause. "What are you talking about, Zach?"

"Tell me everything. About you, about Ms. Morgan, about where you were for nine years. And about my father. I have a right to know."

Emily sighed. She said sadly, "I never thought you would have to find out this way."

"What are you talking about?"

"I wanted all three of us to be able to talk about this together. I didn't want you to find out who your father is like this."

"Wait, all _three_ of us? Are you saying my father is still alive?"

Another pause. After what seemed like forever, Emily answered, "Yes, Zach. Your father is alive."

"It's not Christopher Morgan is it?"

"Where the hell did you get that idea?"

"Cammie found a picture of you two together when you were 16. You look…in love."

"We were. But things changed, Zach. He changed. We broke up. He's not your father."

"Then who is?"

Emily sighed again. This was so hard for her to talk about like this. She needed to see Zach in person. "I have a meeting tomorrow from 7-12:00 P.M. After that, I can get to Roseville and talk to you. What time can we meet?"

"Eight. That's a little late, but it's still early enough for it to look like we're just eating dinner."

"Okay. Meet me at the Parker's Restaurant at eight o'clock sharp. Bring Cammie, too."

"Why?"

"She needs to know about this as much as you do. Just make sure no one follows you."

"Okay. And mom?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"Thanks."

Zach could almost see her smiling. "Your welcome, baby. See you tomorrow." She hung up.

Afterwards, Zach texted Cammie the plan. Cammie agreed to come.

The next day went by fast, and soon it was 7:30 P.M. Zach went to get Cammie, and Cammie showed him the passageway she used to get to Roseville. By 7:55, they were standing outside of Parker's Restaurant. They glanced at each other. "Ready?" Zach asked.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"Then let's go."

Together, Zach and Cammie walked into the restaurant. It was finally time to get some answers.

**I feel so evil, leaving it like this. I have the next chapter all planned out in my head, so it shouldn't take too long for me to post it. Please review!**


	8. Chapter 7

**A lot of questions will be answered in this chapter. You may not like some of the answers, but that's your opinion. This is what I've been waiting to write since the very beginning, so I really hope you enjoy this.**

Zach and Cammie walked into Parker's Restaurant and found Emily right away. She was sitting at the back of the room holding a menu in her hand and pretending to look at it. Zach and Cammie sat in the two empty seats across from her.

Emily looked up and smiled at Cammie. "Hello, dear, you must be Cameron." She held out her hand. "You have your father's eyes."

Cammie shook Emily's hand and blushed. She had always loved her eyes.

"Now, enough small talk, I believe you two want some answers. So, let's start with Cammie. What would you like to know, dear?"

"I want to know about this." Cammie pulled out the picture of Emily and Chris.

Emily looked at the picture and smiled. "My, I haven't seen this picture in a long time." She looked up. "This was taken on the night of our school dance junior year. It was the closest thing to prom we ever got. I was 16, your dad was 17."

"Were you two going out?" asked Zach.

"Yes. We had been going out since eighth grade when Gallagher went to visit Blackthorne and I met him there."

"I thought my dad didn't go to Blackthorne."

Emily looked confused. "Yes he did. He didn't start until eighth grade, though."

"Oh," said Cammie. Her mom had told her that her father had never gone to Blackthorne. She must've lied. "So why did you guys stop going out?"

"To answer that question I have to start from the beginning. Your mother, Rachel, was my best friend up until freshmen year at Gallagher. My parents had died when I was little, so I had lived with the Camerons. Abby, Rachel, and I were inseparable.

"When we started Gallagher, I met Sarah Newman. We became friends, but Sarah and Abby couldn't stand each other. Eventually, Rachel and I had to choose who we would be friends with. Rachel chose her sister, but I chose Sarah."

Emily paused, but only for a moment. "That was freshmen year. It was also the first year that Blackthorne came to Gallagher. Rachel hadn't gone to Blackthorne the previous year so she hadn't met Chris yet. When Chris came to Gallagher, I could tell right away that Rachel had a crush on him. She flirted with him every chance she got, but he ignored her for the most part."

Emily drew in a shaky breath. She was getting to a sensitive part. "On the night that picture was taken," she pointed to the picture, "Sarah told me that one of the Blackthorne boys had told her Chris was cheating on me. I didn't believe her, so I went looking for Chris so he could tell me it wasn't true. I found him in a hallway making out with Rachel.

"Saying I was pissed would be an understatement. We were at Gallagher that year, so I ran away, even though I could hear Chris behind me, and hid in a secret passageway that only I knew about. I stayed there for an hour and just cried."

At this point, Cammie had tears in her eyes. She didn't understand how her mom could do this to someone. And how could her dad cheat on Emily? That was just wrong.

Emily continued. "Eventually, I got up and went back to the dance. Then I did the worst thing I could think of to get back at Chris. I made out with his best friend."

Zach cut in at this point. "Wait a second, wasn't his best friend Mr. Solomon?"

Emily nodded. "Yes. I made out with Joe Solomon in front of the entire school population. And we got in a lot of trouble, too."

"Was my dad angry?" asked Cammie.

"Yeah, he was pretty upset, but he understood why I did it. We decided that we couldn't have a relationship like that, so we broke up." She looked at the picture again. "You would've never guessed that if you looked at this picture, would you?"

"No," Cammie said quietly.

Emily looked at Cammie sympathetically. "I'm sorry, sweety." She covered Cammie's hand with her own. "It's always hard to hear about bad things your parents have done, but no one is perfect. We've all made mistakes."

Emily pulled her hand back and looked at the two people sitting in front of her. "I know you two are in love. I can see it in your eyes. Don't let this keep you apart. And learn from your parents' mistakes. You don't want to make them.

"Now," Emily sat back in her chair. "Is there anything else either one of you would like to know?"

"Where have you been for the last nine years?" asked Zach.

"I was going on a mission with Chris," Emily answered. "It was the first time I had seen him since graduation day when he came to see Rachel. Since we were two of the best spies, we were sent to infiltrate and destroy the COC headquarters, which was located in a small country in northern Africa. We got to the HQ, but were caught. We were locked in a room together and there was no way to escape."

Emily paused and looked at Cammie. "Cammie, sweety, about ten months after we left for the mission, your dad killed himself so that he wouldn't be forced to give up important information. I'm so sorry. He loved you very much."

Cammie couldn't breathe. She couldn't think. She never really believed that her dad would come home, but she always had a small spark of hope. Now she had nothing.

"Cammie," Zach asked, worried. "Are you gonna be okay? Do you want to go back?"

Cammie looked straight ahead, refusing to let the tears come. "No," she said. "I want to hear the rest."

So Emily continued. "After Chris's death, I was taken to a new place. I'm still not sure where I was, but it was somewhere in northern Africa. I was tortured and interrogated everyday for four years." She looked at her bruised arms. "I can still remember their faces, and that look in their eyes." She shuddered. "One thing you learn if you're ever captured by the enemy is that the bruises may fade, but the memories never will.

"But enough of that. Eventually, I was able to escape. I lived with a very nice woman for a couple of years and raised enough money to get a bus ticket to the CIA HQ in Africa. That was about a year ago. I wanted to send word that I was alright, but they were afraid my message would be intercepted by the COC, so they refused to let me. They healed my legs so that I wouldn't need to use wheelchair, and they closed up and disinfected most of my scars and wounds. Then I had to answer some questions and fill out a lot of paperwork. Then, finally, they let me come home."

Emily stopped and took a sip of the forgotten water in front of her. Then she said, "After that I came home to see Zach, and that's pretty much it. Any other questions?"

"Yeah, one more," Zach said. He leaned forward. "Mom, who is my father?"

Emily put down her water glass. "Zach, your father is-"

"What the _hell_ is going on here!" said a very pissed off Rachel Morgan as she stormed into the restaurant. Right behind her was an angry Joe Solomon.

"Mom, calm down," said Cammie.

Rachel ignored her. She pointed at Emily murderously. "You _stay away_ from my daughter."

"Why, hello, Rachel, it's been a long time since I've seen you. Care to join us?" Emily asked calmly.

"You leave my daughter alone. I don't care if you have been missing for nine years, that doesn't mean you can come back here and take children away from my school!"

"I'm sorry, Rachel, but Gallagher is not _your_ school. In fact, if I remember correctly, you weren't even the top of the class. Who was that again? Oh yeah, me." Emily continued. "And Zach is my child, so I can do what I want. And Cammie came here on her own free will, I didn't force her to go anywhere."

Rachel was furious. She grabbed Cammie by the arm. "Come on, Cammie, we're leaving." Cammie didn't refuse.

Cammie looked at Emily and said, "Thank you for telling me about my father. I needed to hear the truth." Then she walked out of the restaurant followed by her mother.

It was just Zach, Emily, and Solomon now. Solomon said quietly, "Zach I think you should go back, too."

"But I-"

"I don't care if you need to know who your father is. Go back to school _now_." Joe looked very angry.

Zach left reluctantly. He had been so close to finding out who his father was and Solomon had ruined it.

When Zach left, Joe turned to Emily. "I can't believe you were about to tell him."

"Joe, he's old enough to handle it now. He needs to know."

"No, Emily! He doesn't need to know that his father was a double agent. He doesn't need that."

"He won't care, Joe. He'll be happy that his father is still alive." She came to his side of the table and sat down next to him. She held his hands in hers and looked into his eyes. "He'll be happy to know that you were there for him. He already thinks of you like a father, so it won't be that hard for him to understand."

"No."

"But Joe, the COC aren't after you anymore. That was 16 years ago. They've probably forgotten that you ever worked for them."

"Emily, when they found out who you were, they sent a ransom note to me, telling me that if I didn't give them two million dollars they would have you killed. The CIA wouldn't let me give that amount of money to save one agent, but luckily you weren't killed. I tried to rescue you 374 times and the CIA caught me every time. Four years of torture, Emily. If they ever found out who Zach was, what do you think would happen to him?"

Emily looked at her lap. She knew he was right, but it didn't matter. "He needs a father, Joe." She stood up. "Eventually, one of us is going to have to tell him." Then she walked out of the restaurant.

Joe Solomon sat in the booth until the restaurant closed. Then he walked back to Gallagher, thinking about everything Emily had said. She was right. Eventually, Zach would have to find out that he was his father.

**How did you like it? Please tell me, I really want to know what you thought because this chapter is very important to the rest of the story. And be happy because at first I wasn't going to tell you who Zach's father was in this chapter. Love you guys! Ella**


	9. Chapter 8

**Hello my friends! I hope you were all satisfied with the last chapter. Someone asked why Rachel seemed so mean. To answer that question you have to imagine finding out that your husband is dead and your arch enemy was the last person to see him alive. On top of that, your enemy is now telling your daughter every bad thing you've ever done. Wouldn't you be upset? I know I would be. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

"What did she tell you? Tell me what she told you, Cameron!" Cammie was sitting on the couch in Rachel's office as her mother paced and screamed hysterically in front of her. They'd been here for the past half hour and Rachel was still furious.

"All she told me was that you guys used to be friends, and then you stole her boyfriend." It sounded harsh, but Cammie meant for it to. She was angry at her mother for being so mean to Emily. "Oh yeah, she also told me that dad killed himself so that he wouldn't give up any information to the COC."

Rachel froze. Slowly, she asked, "_What_ did she tell you?"

Cammie repeated, "She said that dad killed himself so that he wouldn't be forced to give up information to the COC."

Rachel folded her arms. "And how would she know this?"

"She was his mission partner."

Rachel was dumbfounded. Chris hadn't told her. Why? Did he still have feelings for Emily? Is that why he kept this from her? How could he not tell his own wife?

"So he was killed on a mission that he went on with Emily Goode?" she asked Cammie.

"Yes."

"And she definitely said that he killed himself?"

"Mom, where are you going with this?"

"All I'm saying is that it's awfully convenient that the one person who knows everything there is to know about Emily Goode is now dead, while Emily Goode remains unharmed."

At this, Cammie exploded. "God, mom, what's wrong with you?" she shouted. "Emily Goode was tortured by the COC for four years. She just got back after nine years of being away from her son, and you're accusing her of murder? You're never like this! You usually give everyone the benefit of the doubt. Why can't you do that for Emily?"

Rachel looked away from Cammie. "You didn't know her like I did, Cammie. You don't know about the things she's done. The last person in the world who deserves any mercy is _Emily Goode_." When she said 'Emily Goode' her voice was like acid.

Cammie stood up and defiantly faced her mother. "Why, mom? What has she done that is so horrible she deserves no kind of mercy? What could she have possibly done that is worse than what you did to her?"

"What I did to her? What are you talking about, Cammie?"

"You stole her boyfriend at prom! What kind of person does that?"

"I didn't steal Chris, Cammie. Chris came to me."

"What?"

"They broke up at prom because someone told Chris that Emily was cheating on him. Emily got upset and said that if Chris didn't trust her, then they shouldn't be going out. So they ended it." Rachel blushed a little. "Chris and I did kiss that night, and Emily did see us. But she stole Aunt Abby's boyfriend and Chris's best friend."

"Mr. Solomon?"

"Yes. Abby was heartbroken and Chris was furious. Joe and Chris got in a huge fight and didn't speak for months afterwards, which was pretty big since they were roommates."

"Why did dad care? He kissed you, so why does it matter if she kissed Mr. Solomon?"

Rachel stared at Cammie. "Is that what she told you? That it was just a kiss?"

Cammie was confused. "Yes."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "She would say that. But it wasn't just a kiss Cammie. It was more than that."

Cammie gasped. "They didn't…like…"

Rachel looked at Cammie strangely. "God, no, they were 16! But still, what they did do was bad."

"Then what did they do?"

"Nothing I'm going to explain to you. Cammie, look me in the eye." Cammie looked. Rachel held her shoulders. "Emily Goode is not a good person, despite what you may think. She is a mean, cold-hearted person who can't be trusted. I don't ever want you to talk to her again. She manipulates your mind and plays with your feelings. No good comes of spending time with her. And I don't want you to talk to her son either."

Cammie pulled away from her mother. "Why can't I talk to Zach?"

"Because he is just like his mother was at your age. He plays with your feelings, but in the end you'll just end up getting hurt."

"No he doesn't! Zach loves me and I love him!"

"You don't love him, Cammie. You just like him. At your age, you'll think you're in love with every guy who says you look pretty."

"I do love him! You can't keep us apart! Emily accepts that we love eachother, so why can't you? Why are you holding onto a grudge from almost 20 years ago?"

"Emily doesn't know the first thing about love, Cammie. She can have any guy she wants, and yet she chooses to throw her life away."

Cammie shook her head disbelievingly. "You're just a selfish, jealous bitch, mom. Emily Goode has been through hell these last nine years, and you don't even acknowledge that. You just go on holding a grudge on someone who doesn't want to fight you any more. Just give it up."

"I am your mother, Cameron! You will not talk to me like that!"

"I just did." Then Cammie turned around and walked out of the office.

"Cameron Anne Morgan! Get back here this instant!" Rachel ran to the door, but the hallway was empty and Cammie was already gone.

**Who is the good guy? Rachel Morgan? Emily Goode? Who is telling the truth? So many questions, not enough answers. Please review!**


	10. Chapter 9

**I am SO sorry I took so long to update! I've been really busy and my computer crashed, and my mom has been using the computer a lot lately. Plus I kind of ran out of ideas and I didn't really know where to pick up with the story because I really don't want to waste time writing about boring details that no one really cares about. But here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

Over the next two weeks, Cammie spoke less than ten words to her mother. She didn't go to their Sunday dinners, and always turned the other way when she saw her mom coming. She didn't regret saying what she'd said, and Cammie was still angry that her mom had kept so much from her.

On the other hand, Zach and Emily talked every night. Right after dinner, Zach would go up to his room and talk to his mom on the phone for at least a half hour. After all, they had nine years worth of memories to catch up on. But somehow, even though they talked every night, Zach's father never came up. It was like his father was a wall that Emily wasn't ready to climb over yet. But Zach didn't mind- if he could wait 16 years, there was no harm in waiting a little longer.

Eventually Zach did start to wonder, though. The closest he'd ever had to a father figure was Joe Solomon and he wanted to know what it was truly like to have a father.

One night, Zach asked Cammie who she thought his father was. They saw each other almost every night, despite Rachel's wishes. They usually didn't talk about the night Emily told them everything, but tonight it had somehow come up.

After thinking about it, Cammie said, "I don't really know. Your mom said that she hooked up with Mr. Solomon, but I can't really see them being together. **(How Ironic!) **Your mom doesn't really seem like the type of person who would just hook up with some random guy. I think that there's more behind whoever your father is than what we think. There's something that your mom doesn't want you to know."

"But what could be so bad about him that she doesn't want me to know who he is? You don't think he's like a terrorist or something, do you?"

"I doubt that. But you never know. After all, she is a spy."

"God, why can't she just tell me?" Zach stood up and paced in front of Cammie.

"Maybe she wants to tell you in person. Or maybe she wants him to be there when she tells you."

"Maybe."

"Zach," Cammie sighed. "Listen to me. Your mom seems like a good person. She probably is just trying to protect you from the truth. The truth can hurt, and she doesn't want to see you getting hurt."

"You're probably right," said Zach. He kissed Cammie on the lips. Then he said, "I gotta go. Surprise inspection tomorrow."

"If it's a surprise then how do you know about it?"

Zach pointed to himself and did that annoying little smirk of his. "Spy."

Cammie rolled her eyes and kissed Zach one more time before going back to her room. When she got back, Bex, Liz, and Macey bombarded her with questions, all of which were answered. When Cammie finally went to bed, she dreamed of Zach.

**I know its super duper short, but I needed to write something for you guys and what I originally planned to write would've taken too long. Next chapter Zach finds out who his dad is. Review!**


	11. Chapter 10

**Oh. My. God. Only the Good Spy Young is by far the best book of the series. I finished it in less than 24 hours! You must read the book if you haven't already! I noticed that some key points in my story are the same as in the fourth book, but I'm not changing my story around. It's staying the same! Please enjoy this next chapter!**

Three weeks after Cammie and Zach's talk, Zach finally decided to ask his mom who his father was. She reluctantly told him to meet her at Parker's Restaurant again. She would explain everything there.

Zach walked into the restaurant and sat down across from his mother. She looked up at him and sighed. "Are you sure you really want to know?"

"Yes."

Emily sighed again. "Before I tell you who he is, you need to know why I kept it a secret from you. At the time when I fell in love with your father, he was part of the Circle of Cavan, more commonly known as the COC. He was attempting to get out, but it's not very easy to leave the Circle." She stopped. "We were both 20 when you were born, Zach. We were young and foolish and neither of us thought we were ready to have a son. But we loved you and we wanted what was best for you. We decided that no one, including you, could ever know who your father was. If the COC ever found out who you were, they would've killed you. They still want your father because he knows so much, and he has access to two of the most elite spy school's in the world. With him on their side, they would be unstoppable."

"So you're saying that my father worked for the COC?"

"Yes."

"And you couldn't tell me because it was too dangerous?"

"Yes."

"I can take care of myself, mom!" Zach was angry. "I didn't need you to protect me! I could've handled it."

"Oh yeah, because you're handling it so well right now."

"I've been taking care of myself since I was seven years old, mom! You barely even know me, so don't pretend like you've been here for the last 16 years! You were gone. You weren't with me when I learned how to ride a bike or when I got my first kiss. You weren't here when I started school at Blackthorne or when I went on my first successful mission. You weren't here for any of it, so don't pretend like you know me."

Emily had tears in her eyes when she looked away from Zach. Finally she said, "I'm sorry I've inconvenienced you. If I'd known you could take care of yourself so well, I would've just stayed in Africa with the COC. I'm sure that would've made everything better for you." She started to get up. "It was a mistake telling you to come here. Go back to school now. You won't have to hear from me again."

Zach realized that he had made a mistake. "Mom, wait." He grabbed her arm but she shook him off.

"No, Zach. You want to take care of yourself, fine, take care of yourself. Don't let me interfere." She walked out of the restaurant, but Zach followed her.

Zach shouted after her, "You still haven't told me who my father is!"

Emily looked back at him for a moment. Finally she said, "Joe Solomon." Then she disappeared into the shadows of the night.

Zach stood frozen for what seemed like hours. Finally he walked back to Gallagher.

If Zach and Emily had been paying closer attention, they would've noticed a man in glasses and a red baseball cap follow them outside. They would've heard his intake of breath when Emily said, "Joe Solomon." They would've heard when he touched the comms unit attached to his ear and whispered, "I think I just found a way to get Solomon back with the Circle."

**A bit short, but it's something. I hope you liked it. If there are any mistakes I'm sorry. I was too lazy to check it. Please review!**


	12. Chapter 11

**Here is the next chappy! It's going to seem a bit rushed probably because I really want to get this posted. It's going to be long too. If there are any mistakes I'm sorry, but I'm too lazy to check it. Here we go.**

**I don't own anything.**

By the time Zach got back to Gallagher, he wasn't angry at his mom anymore. After all, at the age of seven he probably couldn't have handled the news. He would've told someone, probably Grant. Although, now that he thought about it, Sarah had probably already known.

Anyway, Zach had shifted his anger. Sure, Emily couldn't have told him. But why hadn't Joe Solomon?

After all, he had pretended to be his godfather. He had acted like a father and had treated Zach like a son. Why would it have mattered if Zach had known? The only person Zach was angry at now was Joe.

Zach went right to Sublevel 2. When he got down there, he saw Joe staring off through a random stain-glass window on the far side of the room. Zach just stood there with an angry expression, not saying a word.

Finally Joe Solomon lowered his head. "She told you, didn't she?" Zach said nothing.

Solomon turned around and faced Zach with a sad expression. "Zach," he said sadly.

"How could you keep this from me!" Zach yelled. "Why didn't you tell me you were my father? I wasted sixteen years of my life wondering who my father was, and now I find out that you were here all along! No! I want to know what was so bad that you couldn't tell me. And I want to know _now_!"

Joe didn't say a thing. He just stared sadly at Zach as he yelled. Angrily, Zach walked toward Joe fist raised. "Did you even care about her? Or did you just get her pregnant and leave her like the jerk you are? Did you even care when she got kidnapped? You probably didn't even love her!" Zach swung his fist at Joe Solomon's head when he finished, but when Zach accused Joe of not loving Emily, an intense anger filled his eyes. He stopped Zach's fist moments before it connected with his head, kicked Zach's feet out from under him, and pushed him to the ground.

When Joe was on top of Zach he leaned down so that his face was only inches away from Zach's. "I _loved_ your mother more than anything in the world. From that first night at our junior dance when I kissed her, I knew I was in love. I was with the COC then, but when Emily got pregnant with you, I wanted to stop. We were gonna get married and have a family together, but we didn't want you to be in any danger, so _she_ left _me_. It turned out that it really didn't matter, though, because they still kidnapped her and tortured her for four years. _Four years_! What do you think would've happened to you if they ever found out you were my own?" Joe stopped and closed his eyes before continuing on. "In those four years, I tried to rescue your mother 374 times, but the CIA caught and stopped me every time. So don't you _ever_ accuse me of not loving your mother. She's the one who stopped loving me a long time ago." He stopped and got off of Zach.

Zach was shocked. He'd had no idea how much Joe had loved Emily. It seemed like there was a lot Zach didn't know about his parents.

Zach was about to leave when he decided that he should probably apologize. "Um, Mr. Solomon?"

Joe turned around. "You can call me Joe."

"Um, okay. Joe, will you come with me?"

"Come with you where?"

Zach breathed deeply. "Will you tell me about my mother?"

For the first time in a long time, Joe Solomon actually smiled. "Of course I will."

Zach smiled back. "Thanks." They came out of Sublevel 2 and made their way to the secret passageway that took them into Roseville. They walked around for hours while Mr. Solomon told Zach all of the funny stories and good times he'd had with Emily. Zach told Mr. Solomon about all of the things he could remember about his mom. The most important thing they talked about, though, was what really happened the night of the junior dance.

"Chris and Emily had been dating since eighth grade, and they were starting to get tired of each other. I'd always had a crush on Emily, and Chris knew it. Plus, Chris was starting to like Rachel. I was dating Abby, but I'd been trying to break up with her for months, so I just ended it at the dance. She seemed fine with it at the time, but afterwards I found out that she told everyone Emily had stolen her boyfriend. That was not true."

Joe paused. "Chris and I came up with a plan. It was a way for everyone to be happy. We knew that Emily was looking for an excuse to break up with Chris, so Chris pretended that someone told him she was cheating on him, and she broke up with him for not trusting her. Chris went off to go find Rachel, but later Emily saw them and was really upset that he had moved on so quickly. She went to one of her favorite passages and cried in there. That's when I found her." He stopped at Zach's look. "What?"

"So you're saying that you planned for Chris and my mom to break up so you could have her?"

"Yup."

"And once Chris was over with Emily he went to Rachel?"

"Pretty much."

"So if it's your fault then why do my mom and Mrs. Morgan hate each other?"

Joe shrugged. "They hated each other before, so it didn't really make a difference."

"That's totally awesome that you got away with it."

"What can I say? I'm good at messing with people."

Zach smiled up at his father. "So did you guys pretend to have a huge fight then?"

"Yeah. We didn't want Emily or Rachel to find out they'd been played, so we pretended to be mad at each other for a while. It was all good though, and no one got hurt."

"Except Abby."

Joe snorted. "Abby had a new boyfriend every week. Trust me, she was just fine."

Zach shook his head incredulously. "I just can't believe you got away with it. Bex and Cammie would kill me and Grant if we tried something like that."

Joe put his arm around Zach's shoulder. "Your old man knows a thing or two, kiddo. Maybe I'll teach you when you're older."

"That'd be great."

Joe and Zach kept walking through Roseville before finally stopping to sit down at the park. They were tired and, since it was a Friday, there would be no classes tomorrow, so they decided to just close their eyes for a few minutes.

**Two hours and three minutes later…**

Joe was awoken by a rustling sound in the bushes nearby. He saw Zach sleeping peacefully on the ground near him. Just as Joe closed his eyes to go back to sleep, 37 armed men closed in around them. Zach woke up and jumped up, wide awake now. Joe and Zach fought the men as best they could, but they were tired, unarmed, and outnumbered. Despite all this, they were doing well and had taken down more than half of the men when someone kicked Solomon in the face and banged his head on the hard sidewalk, making him go unconscious. As his vision blurred, he saw a man wrap a rag around Zach's face and saw Zach go limp in the man's arms. He saw Zach being carried to a large black van waiting nearby and watched as it drove away. "Zach!" Mr. Solomon tried to shout. "My son," he said quietly. Then everything went black.

**I truly hope you liked this chapter and that you realize that no one stole anyone else's boyfriend. It was all a lie. In the end, everyone ended up with the right person and everyone is happy. I have the next chapter all typed out and ready to go. I just need five reviews to update. I'm currently am at 38 which seems like a tiny number for 11 chapters, so I'd appreciate it very much if you'd help me get 43 reviews or more by pressing that little review button! Thank you! **


	13. Chapter 12

Joe woke up to find himself alone in the park. He looked up at the sky and judged that it was about 5:30 A.M. Zach was gone. He could've prevented it, but he hadn't.

Zach was gone.

His son was gone.

How would he tell Emily? How could you tell a mother that you had lost her son? He had to get Zach back before the COC could do anything to him. He needed Zach to be safe.

Solomon was about to head back towards the mansion when he noticed a piece of paper lying under a rock. Joe picked up the note and read what it said:

_You had your chance to come the easy way with your girlfriend, but you still refused. Unless you personally come to us with ten million dollars and information on CIA operatives, your son will pay the price. And don't forget, it won't be too hard for us to find little Zach's mommy again either._

As soon as Joe read the last word, the paper evaporated into thin air. Joe couldn't believe this. He could easily get both of the things that the note had asked for, but how long would this go on? How many times would someone he loved be taken away before the COC finally gave up?

Joe made his way back to the mansion and went straight to Rachel's office. He explained what had happened the night before and what the note had said. Rachel went to inform the other teachers, and Joe was left to call Emily.

The call lasted 24 seconds. Four minutes, 18 seconds later, Emily burst into Rachel's office, tears streaming down her cheeks. By that time, Mr. Smith, Rachel, and Professor Buckingham were all gathered in the room with Mr. Solomon. Emily ignored them. She marched over to Joe and slapped him hard across the face.

"HOW COULD YOU LOSE OUR SON?" she screamed hysterically. She made loud, gasping noises as she cried before screaming, "HOW COULD YOU LET THEM TAKE HIM? HOW COULD YOU?" Then she collapsed on the floor in a heaving, gasping mess.

After a few seconds, something happened in that room that no one would've suspected could ever happen. Emily felt a comforting hand on her shoulder, and she felt someone put their arms around her. But it wasn't Joe.

"There, there," Rachel said soothingly, stroking Emily's hair like a little child being comforted after a nightmare. "Zach will be fine. We'll get him back, and everything will be fine." For a moment, they were 11 again, best friends who were inseparable. They were there for each other.

Rachel led Emily to the couch and sat her down. They stayed together with Emily crying and Rachel hugging her while Mr. Smith, Professor Buckingham, and Mr. Solomon made plans. They would be able to get the money, but they didn't want to risk the safety of other agents to save Zach. Finally, they decided that they would need to break him out.

Right after they decided this, Cammie burst into the room, followed by Bex, Liz, Macey, Grant, Jonas, and Nate. "Is it true?" she asked. "Is he really gone?"

Mr. Solomon and Rachel exchanged looks. Rachel answered, "Yes, Cammie. But we're going to get him back."

Grant stepped around Cammie. "I want to help."

"No." said Mr. Solomon.

"But he's my best friend!"

"And Emily is his mother, but she's not helping either."

Emily sniffled and turned around to face Joe. "What do you mean I'm not helping?"

"Did you not hear what I told you the note said, Emily? You're not going near them."

Rachel released Emily as she got up. She crossed her arms over her chest as she walked over to Joe and stood defiantly in front of him. "I'm going to get my son back."

"No, you're not." Joe tried to stare her down, but she just glared at him angrily.

"You can't stop me, Joe. He's my son, too."

"I know that, Em. But they want you too. Don't you see? They know you want him and they know that you'll try to come after him. And if they have both of you…" Joe shuddered. He didn't even want to consider the possibilities.

"How come you get to go and I can't?"

"Because I can't be worried about you the entire time, Em! I already lost you once." He stroked her hair. "Don't make me lose you again."

Emily turned angrily and walked out of the room. Everyone had watched this exchange in silence, but now Bex asked, "What the bloody hell was that all about?"

Joe sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter if you know too," he said. "I'm Zach's father."

Everyone's jaw dropped. After a few minutes, Cammie asked, "Does that mean that you were with…"

"The COC? Yes, I was. They're the ones who kidnapped Zach. And now we're going to get him back."

Just then, Emily walked back into the room, her face a pasty white. She handed a small pouch to Joe before practically falling on the couch next to Rachel who immediately began hugging and stroking again.

Joe opened the pouch and looked at the lock of black hair. He knew it belonged to Zach. Then he took out the note and read it:

_Come to the old meeting place in two hours alone or else will send something that won't grow back. And hurry. Your son misses you._

On the backside of the note there was a URL address. Joe typed it into Rachel's computer and a video immediately popped up. According to the numbers in the right corner of the screen, this video had been taken about ten minutes ago. Everyone in the room crowded around to see.

Zach was tied to a chair in the middle of a small room. He was shirtless and there was blood trickling out from a cut in his side. There was blood on the side of his mouth and in his hairline, too. A man wearing a mask walked over to Zach and pinched his cheek.

"C'mon, little Zachy. Smile at the camera. Your daddy's watching." Zach didn't move. The man punched him hard in the stomach, making Zach cough and gasp for air. "I said _smile_."

Zach tried to lift his head and smile, but it came out more like a pained grimace.

The man stroked Zach's arm. "Now beg your daddy to come save you." Once again Zach didn't say anything.

The man pulled out a metal baseball bat. "You have one last chance to beg before I shatter your arm."

Zach answered defiantly. "No."

The man shrugged. "Fine, have it your way." He brought the bat down hard on Zach's shoulder, making Zach cry out in pain. Then the masked man kicked Zach's chair over onto the side so that the chair was crushing Zach's shattered arm. Zach screamed and tried to move his arm out from under the chair, but that just seemed to make it worse since he cried out again in pain.

"Shut up! I can't think with you making all that noise!" The man kicked Zach in the ribs with his boot and Zach tried to be as silent as possible, which was extremely hard considering his arm, his now broken ribs, and his inability to breathe without crying.

The man turned away from Zach and his face filled up the screen. "Tick-tock, Solomon. Your son's waiting." Then the screen went black.

Joe stared at the black screen. He had tears in his eyes, and he didn't want Emily to see them. They wouldn't go away though, so he just turned around.

Bex, Liz, and Macey were crying and hugging Cammie, who was crying even harder. Jonas and Nate were attempting not to have the tears in their eyes spill over, and Grant had his fists clenched and had angry tears streaming down his face. Mr. Smith sat with his head in his hands. Professor Buckingham seemed to be the only one with a straight face. Rachel hugged Emily tightly, and both were crying harder than anyone else in the room. Joe walked over to Emily and sat down next to her. Rachel gave Emily to him and he took her in his arms as she cried. Finally, she sniffled and said, "You have to get him back, Joey. You have to get him back."

He just hugged her and kissed her head. Then he whispered, "I know."

**This was a really depressing chapter for me to write. In fact, I was crying while I wrote it, but I didn't even realize it until I felt something wet land on my arm. I felt pretty pathetic. Sorry if I make anyone cry. That's just how I picture someone being tortured, which probably comes from all of the CSI and other cop shows I watch. Please review!**


	14. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the long wait. I've been super busy lately, plus I had an extreme case of writer's block. Here's the next chapter.**

**I don't own anything.**

One hour, 56 minutes, and 13 seconds after the video ended, Joe stood in front of an abandoned warehouse with a suitcase containing 10 million dollars and the whereabouts of 16 undercover CIA operatives. He'd taken a plane and then a very crowded bus to get here. He was 574 miles away from the safety of Gallagher Academy. There was no turning back now.

He walked into the warehouse, the door creaking loudly. Immediately, seven masked men walked into the room, surrounding Joe on all sides. The person directly in front of Joe spoke. "Do you have the stuff?"

Joe held up the suitcase for the person to see. "Slide it over," the masked person demanded. Joe slid the suitcase so that it stopped inches away from the person's feet. "Bring out the boy!" the person yelled. That's when Joe noticed something. He'd assumed that all of the people in the room were men, but the person in front of him, the person who seemed to be in charge, had a woman's voice; a voice that Joe recognized.

As if she read his mind, the woman laughed maliciously. "You always were smart, Joe." She pulled off her mask. "In fact," Sarah Newman said, "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out sooner."

Joe stood shocked looking at the love of his life's best friend. "You?"

Sarah held up her hand. "Let me guess what you're going to say. 'You were Emily's best friend, how could you do this to her son?' Let me tell you something. Emily is an _idiot_. When she was kidnapped, the COC offered her a place, and they treated her well. But she still refused to join us. She could've had _everything_, but she chose to get tortured for four years instead." Sarah paused. "Now, what to do about little Zachy?"

Zach had been dragged out of another room by two masked men. His hands were bound, his mouth was gagged, and every time he put weight on his right leg he would wince. He still didn't have a shirt on, and there was blood all over his body. His arm that had been hit with the bat hung at an odd angle. The two men holding him brought him over to Sarah. She pinched his cheek with her nails, making him wince. Then the two men threw him at Joe, and Zach fell at his father's feet. Joe bent down next to Zach and hovered over him protectively.

Sarah laughed at them. "I'm not going to hurt your son anymore, Joey." She picked up the suitcase and turned to walk away. Then she suddenly turned around. "Oh, and tell Emily I said hello. And could you tell Grant that the option to join us still stands? Thanks."

In the next moment everything seemed to happen at once. The warehouse doors slammed open and 100 armed CIA operatives ran in, not including Grant, Macey, Nate, and Bex. They grabbed and bound the eight COC men, but Joe saw Sarah disappear up a flight of stairs. Joe got up and ran after her.

Joe pushed open a heavy door and found that he was standing on the roof. He looked around but didn't see her. Then he heard a noise from behind him, and when he spun around, Sarah kicked him in the face. Joe grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back, but she threw her head back and hit him in the nose, making it bleed. Then she pulled out a gun and pointed it at him. Joe backed up towards the edge of the roof, until he was standing inches away from the edge. One more step backwards and he would plummet 84 feet to his death.

Sarah cocked the gun. "It's over Joe." Joe closed his eyes and heard the shot. But then…nothing.

He knew he'd heard the shot, but he felt nothing. He opened his eyes and looked at himself, finding no bullet holes. Finally he looked at Sarah.

She stood there with a shocked expression on her face, still half pointing the gun at Joe, but her body had gone limp. As she fell to her knees, Joe noticed the bullet hole in her heart. Her head hit the rocky ground hard, and she lay still. Joe looked past her.

Rachel stood there, gun in hand, pointing it at Sarah's dead body. When she was positive Sarah was dead, she slid the gun back into its cradle and walked over to her body. Rachel spit on the ground right next to Sarah's face. She said, "That's for stealing my best friend, bitch."

Rachel seemed to notice Joe for the first time. She asked if he was alright, and he said he was. They walked down to the main floor together, leaving Sarah's body on the roof.

When they got down there, they saw hat Zach had been untied and his gag had been removed. He was being examined by a doctor and was laying on a stretcher. Bex, Macey, Nate, and Grant were on the phone with Cammie, Liz, and Jonas, who were watching everything from a live surveillance camera. When Grant saw Mr. Solomon, he walked over, looking scared and ashamed.

"Mr. Solomon," he started. "I swear I wasn't going to join them. My mom wanted me to but I couldn't. I-I would've told someone what she was, but I couldn't. She's still my mom." He hung his head. "I'm sorry."

Joe put a hand on his shoulder. "It's alright, Grant. It isn't your fault that your mother made bad decisions. You had no control over her. But she's gone now."

Grant looked at him. "Is she…"

"She's gone, Grant."

Grant sighed sadly. "Is it wrong that I'm still sad that she's dead? Even after all she's done?"

"She was your mother, Grant. It'd be worse if you didn't feel anything."

Just then, a woman walked over towards Grant and Mr. Solomon. "Mr. Newman, could you please come with me? We have a few questions we'd like you to answer."

Grant looked at Mr. Solomon. "Go on," Joe said encouragingly. The woman put a hand on Grant's shoulder and led him towards a group of five other agents who had pens and paper in their hands.

**Later…**

After everything had gotten sorted out and Zach had been cared for, Joe, Rachel, Bex, Macey, Grant, Zach, and Nate boarded a helicopter to Roseville. They landed on the roof of the school and got off one by one. Bex, Macey, Grant, and Nate went towards Cammie, Liz, and Jonas, where there was a lot of hugging. Rachel got off after them and walked towards Emily to tell her everything that had happened. When Rachel told Emily what Sarah was, Emily was shocked. She couldn't believe that after everything, Sarah had been the bad guy. She hugged Rachel and apologized for everything. Rachel did the same. Then Rachel walked towards Cammie and gave her a big hug.

Zach got off next. He was on crutches, and his shoulder had a large bandage covering it. Emily ran towards him, tears in her eyes. She hugged him as tightly as she could without hurting him. Zach whispered, "I'm sorry, mom."

"I'm sorry, too, baby. I love you so much."

"I love you, too, mom." When Emily finally released him, Cammie came over and wrapped her arms around Zach's neck without touching his shoulder. Zach kissed her passionately and put his good arm around her waist. But then everything seemed to get quiet when Joe got off the helicopter.

He barely had time to get off the helicopter before Emily ran at him. She threw her arms around his neck and yelled over the noise of the helicopter. "Thank you for bringing our son back, Joe." Then she kissed him. Joe seemed surprised, but he got over quickly since the next moment he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. They stood there, kissing like they might never see each other again.

Finally Joe came up for air. "You love me again?"

Emily smiled at him, her eyes shining brightly. "Who said I ever stopped?" Then she kissed him again.

**Now I want everyone to know just how crazy I am. The only reason I made this story was so that I could find a reason to write the end of this chapter. I just wanted Joe to say, "You love me again?" and then for Emily to answer, "Who said I ever stopped?" That is the only reason I wrote the ****Story of Emily Goode****. Please review. The next chapter is the last one. **


	15. Epilogue

**I am soooooo sorry for the long wait! My computer was acting up and then it had to be taken in and I'm getting ready for high school and I'm swimming all the time. I didn't have much time. But here it is, the Final Chapter.**

**Epilogue**

**3 months later**

"Did you get your invitation yet?" Zach asked Cammie.

"Yeah. It came yesterday in the mail, but we kind of already knew everything since my mom helped plan the wedding."

"Yeah." It had been three months since Zach had stepped off the helicopter and into his mother's arms, and three months since Mr. Solomon, his father, had proposed to Emily. The wedding was in four weeks, and Joe and Emily were more in love than they had ever been before. Rachel and Emily were best friends again. In fact, Rachel was going to be Emily's maid of honor at her wedding. All of the Gallagher faculty was invited, and Cammie, Bex, Liz, and Macey were coming too. Grant, Nate and Jonas would be sitting with them at the wedding, but since Zach was part of the wedding party he had to sit up in front with his parents, Rachel, his mother's bridesmaids, Mr. Smith- his dad's best man- and Mr. Moscowitz.

"There you two are," said a voice from behind them. They turned around and saw Mr. Solomon and Emily coming towards them, hand in hand. "We've been looking all over for you."

"You found us," said Zach.

"Well come on then," said Emily. "You have to get a new tux and your father is taking you right now. Cammie, sweety, your mom and I are taking you and your roommates dress shopping so that you have something new to wear for the wedding. Let's get a move on, people!"

Joe put his arm around her waist as Cammie and Zach got up and went to get ready for shopping. Joe pulled her close and whispered in her ear, "Are you sure you want a big wedding? It's not too late to elope."

Emily turned her head towards him and kissed him deeply. She looked into his eyes and said, "I'm sure."

Joe looked at her. She looked beautiful standing there in front of him. And four weeks later, standing in the front of a beautiful church in a brand new tux he was more nervous than he had ever been in his life. When he saw Emily walking down the isle dressed in white, his nerves all melted away and he knew that he truly was the luckiest man in the world.

**THE END**

**I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! - Ella**


End file.
